The Afro-Colombian Community Councils of Northern Cauca requested to the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) to recognize the Cauca River as victim of the armed conflict in Colombia. The communities affirm that, during violent periods, the stream has suffered enough.

The Cauca River was used not only as a mass grave, but also as a dumping ground for chemicals - derived from the production of illicit substances - and mercury - consequence of illegal mining activities -. These facts that have led to a polluted river and has forced the nearby communities to displace and relocate due to the quality of the water.

Consequently, the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, through Case 05, prioritized the situation in Northern Cauca and affirmed that crimes against nature are a violation of International Humanitarian Law. The case showed that the Cauca River was directly affected by the Colombian armed conflict. A conflict that altered its water quality and endangered the species that inhabit the stream.

Due to the above, the Special Jurisdiction for Peace declared the Cauca River as a victim, arguing that nature is a subject of rights in the framework of the armed conflict and that a reconciliation between the communities and the painful past of the Cauca River is necessary.